Camera shutter trigger latch and stop



March 7. 1950 H. T. HODGES 2,500,034

CAMERA SHUTTER TRIGGER LATCH AND STOP Filed Feb. 24, 1949 HOWARD T HODGES INVENTOR ATTORNEIYS Patented Mar. 7, 1.950

UNITED STATES OF FICE CAMERA SHUTTER TRIGGER LATCH AND STOP HowardT. Hodges; Rochester, N. Y2, assignor -tm Eastman; Kodak. Company; Rochester, N. Y.,. a" corporation oflNew J erseya ApplicationFehruary 24, 1949, Serial No. 78,115

3 Glaims; 1

This invention relates to photography, and more particularly to camera shutters. One object of the invention is to provide a'camera shutter with a shutter'trigger lockand a master member stop'without the useof additional parts: A still further object of my invention is to provide a simple and inexpensive means of preventing the operation of? the trigger-unless the shutter has first been-set; still'further "object of my inven tion is to provide a means for limiting-.themovement of' the master' member-under the impulse of its spring and in adriving direction, said stop means also being arranged without additional parts. Other obj ects-will appear f i'om the f ollowing specification; the" novel features being-particularly pointed out in" the claims at: the end thereof.

I am' aware-that trigger locks are not broadly new, examples of such triggerlocksbeing shown in U. S. Patent 2105228; Riddelli grantedJanu ary 11, 1938; 2183, 802}. Zizelsberger, granted-December 19; 1939'; and 21261518, Burger; granted December 23; 1941". However; in eachof'these patents additional partsand additional movements are requiredand; in addition; the-trigger latch itself does not include a stop member'- so that the construction is=quitediflerent-z Coming now to thedrawings wherein like ref erence characters-"denote like parts throughout.

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of a typical inexpensive shutter with the coverpl'ate removed showing a master member and trigger "constructed in"accord ancewith and embodyingja preferred formz-cfimy invention. Theparts-are shown with the shutter set and in position to make' anex posurea- Fig; 2"is an enlarged fragmentary'detai'led view showin the trigger l'atch' and stop in a position they may assume just before the master member comes to rest after making an exposure.

Fig; 3 is a' view similarto Fig. 2-iwith theparts in their rest" and unset-position afteran exposure has been made. 1

My-invention consists in providing-a shutter trigger and a master member with suitable interen'gagin'g" parts so thatwithout the use of additional' parts; a shutter'triggerlock, alatch for holding the master member in a setpos-itibn, and a stop for limiting the movement" ofthe'master member are all'provi'ded; This structure is intended primarily for an inexpensive shutter, the essential parts ofwhich areshown in the drawing, but, of course, such a shutter may have the usual gear train, or retard, for producing delayed instantaneous speeds, if desired.

Referring to Fig. l, the shutter may consist of 55 acasing- I having an upstanding flangeZ around its-periphery; and an exposure apertures in; the center. Th'eflange'z'may be slottedat t so that anoperating-handlefi of a mastermember 6 may project therethrough. This master member is in theform of'a ring and ismounted toturnfreely on the annular member I whichmayforma part of a mechanism plate 8. A spring 9' connects a lug ill on the handle 5"to a stud I l and furnishes the power for driving the master member in the direction shown by the arrow inv Fig. 1 to" make an exposure.

The master-member has a latchinglug l2, an offset'arm it which includes a stop surface [4, and is recessed at 5 for a trigger latch element and driving lug it. This driving lug hasa cam surface li and is formed upwardly at l8.

In order-to hold the master member 6' in its set position shown in Fig. l, a trigger member20 is provided with a latch element 2! this latch element engaging the latch element II on the master member. The trigger 20' in the present instance is mounted to turn ashaft 22 which is providediwith a slot 23 to which theend'ofxa shaft passin outwardly from a camera may engage, so that the trigger member 20 may be turned from such a shaft. A spring Zl-tendstoturn the trigger member-in the direction shown by the arrow and toward the master member 6. The trigger is preferably provided with an arm: 25 lying beneath a cable release ferrule 26 so" that the-plunger of the'rel'ease' 21, passing through a cable 28', may be used to' operate the trigger'in a known'manner. Fig. 1 shows the'master member latched and ready to make an exposure: In 'the present instance: the shutter is provi'ded with two' similar-rightand left-handshutterbladesfifl and El pivoted tothe casing on studs 32 and 33'. One shutter blade is provided with a slot 34 and the other shutterbl'ade is provided with a round opening or slot 35', both of these? openings being engagedby a pin is carried by an opening lever 31'". Thisopening'lever ispivoted'to a stud'38and includes' a spring 'tg' normally holding the shutter blades in the closed position. The-outer end of lever is providedwith a cam surface which, in theset position of the master member'shown in Fig; 1, lies in the" path of'the" cam H" of the master member; 'Ih'erefin'e,v if the trigger: 203 is depressed, or turned in a" direction opposite to 'thearrowdn Fig: 1. latch element ill 'rele'ases'latch element" 12 and the master member; under the influence of spring 9, turns in a counterclockwise direction so that the cam l 1, through enga ement with cam 40, will turn the opening lever 31, and

since this lever carries a stud 34, both blades will be opened during this movement. As soon as the master member lug l6 passes the opening lever, the spring 39 closes the blade and an exposure is made. Meanwhile, the trigger may be held in a depressed position, or it may have returned to its rest position in which it engages the periphery of the master member 6. In either case the arm 2| of the lever 20 forms a stop to limit the movement of the master member. If the trigger 20 is held in a depressed position, the stop surface [4 of the master member will strike the end of the arm 2|, thus bringing the movement of the master member to a stop. When this occurs, the blades have already opened and been closed by the spring 39 passing the lug |6. Therefore, if the trigger is allowed to return to its initial position, the arm 2| will ride down the surface l4 under the impulse of spring 24 and will drop into the recessed portion l5 of the master member since the master member, under its spring 9, may move in a slightly further direction to the position shown in Fig. 3. The trigger member is now latched. If the trigger should have returned so that arm 2| is in engagement with the master member 6, before the master member 6 completes its movement, the parts may be in the position shown in Fig. 2, so that slight further movement of the master member 6 will engage the recessed area l5 with the arm 2| so that this arm will be latched. Thus, it is immaterial what position the trigger is in-it will always serve as a stop for the master member and, in addition, when the trigger returns to its normal position by reason of the spring 24, regardless of the position of the arm 2| when stopping the master member, it will immediately move to its latched position of Fig. 3. This is accomplished without an additional part, and since the shutter trigger and the master member are both formed from thin sheet metal stamped out, the construction is quite inexpensive, although effective. The master member and trigger move in the same plane, and at no time does a portion of the shutter or the trigger spring up and pass over the top of the other part. The trigger moves away from the master member in an exposure-making direction, but it cannot move out of the path of the lug I3, so that its rest position, which may be controlled by a set screw 45, when depressed is always within the path of the lug i3.

The operation of my improved shutter trigger latch and stop is as follows. To make an exposure the handle 5 is moved through the slot 4 until the arm 2| engages the lug l2 and latches the master member in its set position. During this movement the incline l8 moves up and over the opening lever 31 and when fully set the cam lies adjacent to the cam 40 on the opening lever. The relationship of these two cams is not critical; they may either lie in contact or they may be spaced some distance from each other. In any event, when the trigger is turned in a clockwise direction against the action of spring 24, cam strikes cam 40, swinging the opening lever 31 towards the periphery of the shutter and opening the shutter blades which will close when the lug |6 has passed the end of the opening lever. Ihe spring 39 then closes the blades. After lug 16 passes the end of lever 31, the master member continues to move until either the surface H, or the recessed surface l5, strikes the arm 2| of the trigger to come to rest. If the surface l4 strikes the trigger arm 2|, when the trigger is released, the spring 24 will drive this arm in the direction shown by the arrow in Fig. 1 until it drops into the notch l5. If, however, the trigger returns to its rest position first, as shown in Fig. 2, it will immediately engage the recessed area I5. In any event the recessed area l5 latches the trigger against further movement until the master member is moved in a setting direction, as indicated in Fig. 1. The first part of this movement will release the trigger arm 2| from the recessed area l5, but since the setting must be complete before the lug l2 snaps behind the trigger arm 2 I, if the setting lever should be released at any time previous to this locking engagement, the parts will immediately return to their latched position.

With this construction it will be noted that the speed of movement of the master member is unimportant, because the trigger, by moving away from the master memberand by remaining in the path of the lug l3, will always release the shutter and will always be in a position to form a stop for the master member whether in an operative latching position, or in a releasing position.

Having thus described my invention, what I desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A shutter trigger lock and stop for camera shutters of the type including an apertured shutter casing, pivoted blades covering the aperture, mechanism for moving the blades including a master member and a handle for setting the master member, a latch element on the master member, a trigger pivoted to the shutter casing and having an arm for engaging the latch element on the master member, and adapted to move outwardly to release said latch, a spring for driving the master member and for holding the latch element against the trigger arm, a lug carried by the master member spaced from the latch element thereof having a stop surface and a recessed surface adjacent but offset from each other and extending outwardly from the master member, the end of the trigger arm fitting the recessed surface of the master member lug to be latched thereby when resting therein, and forming a stop for the master member when contacting with the stop surface of the master member lug and a spring for moving the trigger arm down the stop lug into the recess.

2. The shutter trigger lock defined in claim 1 characterized by the arm on the shutter trigger serving'as a latch for the master member being movable through a path away from and towards the master member latch element, said trigger am always lying in the path of the stop surface or recessed surface of the master member lug to limit the movement thereof in any position of the trigger.

' 3. The shutter trigger lock defined in claim 1 characterized by the master member and the trigger lying in a fixed plane and turning in said plane, the trigger k and stop being integral parts of these members whereby the trigger arm which latches the master member in a set position is the same part which is locked against movement by the lug of the master member having the stop surface and the recessed surface.

HOWARD T. HODGES.

No references cited. 

